The field of prosthodontics deals with the replacement, rehabilitation and, maintenance of the oral function, comfort, appearance and, health of patients with clinical conditions associated with missing or deficient teeth. To replace a natural tooth, a dentist uses a variety of devices of which implant, abutment, and crown are significant.
The majority of implants used today are made of titanium and are available in various sizes and shapes. A two-stage surgical protocol is used for the placement of a dental implant. Usually, the first stage is the extraction of the tooth. Several months are required to allow new bone growth to heal the extracted socket. The second stage is when a hole is drilled into the bone and the implant is screwed in. The entire procedure is time consuming, expensive, requires extensive technical skill, and is carried out over several visits to the dentist causing additional distress to the patient.
It is also possible to place an immediate dental implant directly into an extraction socket, but this requires drilling deeper into the base of the socket to obtain sufficient stability. Many general dentists refuse to carry out this procedure due to the perceived high risk of damaging adjacent nerves and/or nasal sinuses. Once the implant has osseointegrated into the bone, a permanent crown is placed.
The above surgical implant procedure requires a level of skill and confidence that is beyond many general dentists. Primarily, many general dentists are anxious about drilling into bone and prefer to refer such patients to specialists. They are also concerned about the high cost of the surgical equipment required of relatively infrequent procedures.
The object of this invention is to provide a dental implant that can be fitted immediately after tooth extraction. It is another object of the invention to enable placement of a dental implant without having to drill into the jaw bone. It is yet another object of this invention to allow for fast osseointegration directly around and into the placed implant. It is also the object of the invention to provide a kit of different sized and shaped dental implants that fits most tooth sockets.